Getting Started — Connection
Inti OBD communicates with your vehicle through a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter plugged into your car’s OBD2 port (typically located under the dashboard on the driver’s side). This guide walks you through finding a compatible adapter and getting connected.
Supported Devices
The following Bluetooth OBD2 adapters are compatible with Inti OBD:
These are just a few of the more common devices that are supported, but chances are good that if it connects via Bluetooth, it will work with Inti
Known Unsupported Devices
Tip: Make sure your adapter is plugged into the OBD2 port and powered on before attempting to connect.
Connecting a New or Unpaired Device
There are two ways to pair your OBD2 adapter with Inti OBD. Using the in-app flow is recommended.
Method 1: In-App Device (Recommended)
This method guides you through pairing directly inside the app using Android’s Companion Device pairing system.
Open Inti OBD and navigate to the device list screen When prompted, allow Inti OBD to search for nearby Bluetooth devices. If this is your first time connecting, make sure Location is enabled on your device — Android requires location access to discover Bluetooth devices during initial pairing. Location is not required for subsequent connections. A system dialog will appear showing nearby devices. Select your OBD2 adapter from the list. Once selected, the app will pair the device, and you may proceed to select it in the menu to connect.
Method 2: Pairing via Android’s Bluetooth System Settings
You can also pair your adapter through Android’s Bluetooth settings before launching Inti OBD.
Open Settings → Connected devices → Pair new device on your Android phone. Select your OBD2 adapter from the list of discovered devices and complete pairing. Open Inti OBD — the app will recognize your previously bonded adapter automatically. If you pair the device through System Settings while Inti OBD is already open, the app will not detect the new device in the current session. Close and reopen the app after pairing to establish the connection.
Troubleshooting
Q: I can’t see any devices when using the in-app connection flow.
A: Make sure Location is enabled on your Android device before scanning (shown above). In addition to Bluetooth, Android requires location access the first time you discover and pair a Bluetooth device. Once the adapter has been paired at least once, location is no longer required for subsequent connections.
Q: I paired using using the system Bluetooth Pairing screen, but I don’t see it connected like I do with my headphones, what gives?
A: Yeah, that’s an issue with connecting to these devices is that they won’t appear as a paired device in System Settings. Rest assured, if you didn’t encounter an error while creating a bond, its probably good to go!
Q: Wait, whats the difference between a bonded and a paired device?
A: Pairing is the one-time handshake process where two devices exchange and verify security keys. Bonding is the persistent result — the saved relationship stored on both devices so they can reconnect automatically without repeating the handshake. In practice: you pair once, then they're bonded forever (until you forget/unpair). Bonded devices you’ve connected to before will appear in the list of previously connected devices.
Q: When I tap on a device, it’ll pretend like it connects then does….nothing?
A: Uh oh, you might have encountered a connection bug that was present in the initial release. We’re working on it, but an easy fix is to simply close the app entirely, reopen, and try again.
Q: What happens if I’m still having trouble connecting? What can I do?
A: Reach out! We’re on slack, if you’re convinced you’ve found a bug, please report it using the help menu.